Find out how sales performance coaching can feel more like a therapy session, helping prospects find clarity through curiosity rather than self-serving persuasion.
Salespeople do not exactly have the best reputation. Why is this? Pop culture and society as a whole has painted this picture of sales people as pushy, selfish, and untrustworthy. However, as time goes on and we learn more about the sales industry and hiring great sales teams, we shift the paradigm and see sales people as trusted advisors.
When you think of those words: trusted advisor, what is the industry/profession that first comes to mind? Ours is therapy. Therapy and Selling, though two district terms, have similar practices.
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This may shock you, but as far as society is concerned, salespeople don't have the best reputations. Sales has been portrayed in movies and TV as a way to get what you want. But recently, a movement in the sales industry has created more of a focus on being a trusted advisor.
I love that phrase. It brings to mind another role that's famous for being a trusted advisor: a therapist. In case you're unfamiliar with the model of therapy, here's a quick overview.
The client presents a problem to their therapist. The therapist listens and asks questions to help the client determine the best course of action. No, really. The therapist really listens from a place of curiosity, not judgment. Through that exchange, the client is able to gain clarity regarding their problem, be challenged in a way that helps them grow, and be supported with the right solution guided by an expert.
Now, think of how it would be if this were the exchange instead. The client comes in for their session, and the therapist attempts to start the conversation by finding common ground and sharing personal information about themselves in an effort to do so.
Then, the therapist goes on to express their expertise while reviewing how long they've held their title, maybe even pointing to a few plaques on the wall to solidify their skill set, ensuring the client has come to the right place.
The therapist invites the client to express their issues and, upon hearing the initial explanation, begins to tell them all about their previous clients with similar issues and how they helped them through those issues, referring back to their own skill set.
The therapist uses gotcha questions that, ultimately, dominate the conversation, leaving little room for the client to express anything. They don't make the client the central focus, yet somehow have all the answers. That would be weird.
Yet, this is behavior salespeople engage in every day. Some salespeople believe that it's their job to convince a prospect that they, A, have a problem and B, should hire them to fix it. When in reality, you can't sell anyone anything. You can only help them discover whether they need it or want it through curiosity and without a self-serving agenda.
A discovery conversation isn't a place to get your needs met as a salesperson. It's about helping your prospect gain clarity and shift paradigms regarding what's holding them back from receiving the results they need. To do this, the salesperson must care about their prospect's results versus their own outcome and be objectively curious despite the number of times they've heard a similar problem, just like a good therapist.
